The Seven Sins
by Cairnsy
Summary: Tales of sin and deceit from within the Dragon Knights universe. Chapter One: Lust.
1. Ruwalk: Lust

_Author's notes:_ This short series is divided into 7, unconnected short stories dealing with each of the seven sins. Lust. Sloth. Gluttony. Wrath. Pride. Greed. Envy. Each chapter is assigned to a different character, although not always the character you might expect. Most of the chapters are gen, featuring no relationships at all, but there are a couple of exceptions, including this chapter which features a male/male pairing. The rating overall is PG-13, as a couple of the chapters are deserving of that rating. As always, any reviews and comments are very much welcomed!

**Lust.**

Ruwalk liked to watch them, the perfect pair shaped from convenience. Beautiful Raselane, with her gentle nature and kind smile. Familiar Lykouleon, with his dashing looks and good natured grin. They were considered the ideal, the standard by which all love should be based on, and perhaps Ruwalk would have found it as sweet as the bards did if he liked to watch them both as a pair and not simply by default. To watch Lykouleon, was to watch Raselane.

And so, Ruwalk watched them both, but it was only Lykouleon he truly saw.

There were days when this spectator sport became almost masochistic, and there were days when it most certainly was. It was hard not to see everything through a jaded screen, one colored that way by a passionate friendship that had spilt easily into the bedroom, unhindered by such things as status or royalty or _convenience. _Ruwalk had found it all to be perfect, even if that definition only suited them.

But then he'd had to watch, banished to the sidelines and replaced by another. He'dwatched as his closest friend had married a stranger, watched as Lykouleon tried to bond with someone who cared as little for him as he did for her.

Watched as they fell in love.

Memories haunted his bed, ones of completion and warmth, promises and acceptance. They were all he had now; they were all that were still his.

Lykouleon certainly didn't seem to possess them anymore.

Occasionally, Ruwalk wondered if perhaps it was not merely Lykouleon's heart he no longer belonged in, but this new, perfectly crafted, perfectly fake world of his, as well. It was not a world Ruwalk was all that familiar with, one where loyalty was brought through bloodlines and friendships did not extend beyond warm smiles and good advice.

Lykouleon's world left Ruwalk cold.

All Ruwalk was ever allowed to do now, after all, was to simply watch. And he did. Watched the way Lykouleon walked, watched the way the corner of his lips would curve up just slightly when he was seeing humor in a situation that everyone else considered deadly serious. And as he watched, Ruwalk pretended that he was the one Lykouleon walked beside and that it was with him that Lykouleon shared his secret little smile. It was not that Lykouleon didn't still smile at Ruwalk, but they were not smiles that promised rendezvous' in closets or empty corridors, nor were they grins that were wickedly wild.

But he watched, just in case.

He didn't think anyone else knew about Lykouleon and the secret little watcher that he had picked up along the way. Alfeegi was blind to all things that held no numerical value, while Kai-stern saw everything through his own, Rath colored glasses. And Lykouleon himself had forgotten. Each moment. Each touch. The basic necessities of lust.

No one knew, no one at all. At least, that was what Ruwalk liked to think. There were days when Tetheus seemed to suddenly turn cold instead of appearing merely indifferent, and dark eyes threatened silently. Tetheus was different to everyone in the castle, his dedication was not to morality or helping others, but simply and _only _to Lykouleon. If Ruwalk dared to upset Lykouleon's perfect happiness in any way, Tetheus would not be there to pick up the pieces but instead to dispose of them.

So all he can do was watch as the one he wanted slipped further into the life of another, and Lykouleon's private bodyguard ruined even the faintest daydream for the past.

If it was not for Tetheus, then Lykouleon would be his. Ruwalk would have risked it all, convinced Lykouleon through kisses and caresses. If it was not for Raselane, then he would have reclaimed Lykouleon. Bloodlines only mattered if an heir could be produced as a result. If it was not for Lykouleon, then they would be together. But Lykouleon no longer wanted him. And it hurt. It _hurt. _Raw and harsh, the feeling was as familiar as breathing and just as constant a companion.

Drowning. Dying. No longer truly existing. It was all the same.

It was all Ruwalk had, as his arm snaked around slim shoulders; as he ran a friendly hand through finely spun hair. He whispered and smiled, patted a silk-clad arm or playfully buttoned up Lykouleon's shirt properly after he's just emerged, half naked, from the bathing rooms.

And he watched, but always from a distance.


	2. Alfeegi: Sloth

_Author's notes: _Thank you for the reviews, guys! One of the reasons why I found this concept quite interesting from a writing perspective was because it did give me a chance to explore the darker side of characters who appear generally to be very good people in canon. But even the most wonderful people have their darker aspects, and this story let me try and look at them from a different perspective. None of the characters are going to come across 100 good in any of these pieces, as I'm attempting to portray them as sinners, as opposed to victims of their particular sin. It means that the characterization I choose isn't always one I personally follow, but which I think is still (hopefully) a possibility based on canon. _Kitty2Satan, _I know all about the horrors of internet connection, so don't worry about it. As for the Tetheus' connection to Raselane, my interpretation (most likely wrong) was that his dedication to Raselane was because she was the most important person to Lykouleon, so his dedication to her still has its basis in his devotion to Lykouleon. If that makes sense. And, this is turning into the author's notes from hell. Thanks as always to _Misura, _and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, _Angstluver. _

**Sloth (Alfeegi).**

No-one worked harder, everyone agreed. The Officer of the White was without layers or complexities, he was simply dedicated and efficient, a workhorse that 'encouraged' and 'motivated' others to meet his high standards. No-one knew more, no one strived for perfection quite as much.

And no-one worked harder, everyone said. Alfeegi agreed with them all, allowing that, for once, people seemed to know what they were talking about. He was, after all, the one who was up before dawn and did not rest until dusk was a distant memory, and he was the one who bypassed holidays and weekends as though they were old friends that he did not want to particularly acknowledge.

Unrelenting, unparalleled. When Alfeegi was the one to discover that, through reports and logistics alone, that a spy was within the castle walls and identified him with ease, there were murmurs of appreciation and tales spun about his skill and talents. When he'd managed to avert an economy crisis entirely on his own (well, perhaps Ruwalk had helped a little), a nearby farm had named a cow after him in gratitude. Oh, Alfeegi knew that they all moaned and groaned about him in between his moments of brilliance, but even then, beneath their complaints and bereavements, there was always that concession that Alfeegi knew best, and that anything that was important and needed to be dealt with efficiently should be sent to him.

And so, each day was spent at his desk, each night kept company by books and scrolls. Dealing with things that were important, dealing with things that mattered, never with any respite. It was why, when Kai-stern's latest report came in three days late and with a couple of brown smudges marring the bottom corner, he'd angrily stormed around the castle until he had found the other man, thrusting the papers back at him and demanding that he re-write them. Kai-stern had grimaced slightly in response, which had annoyed Alfeegi further still. He'd rewarded the Blue Officer with a nice long rant about how the work Alfeegi did was important, and that Kai-stern was screwing up his system. Before stalking off again, he'd let his gaze drop disdainfully down to Kai-stern's fingers, where small, almost invisible tremors rippled lightly under the skin there. With a somewhat cold comment about how Kai-stern really needed to get his drinking under control he had left, mentally calculating just how much this short meeting had cost him.

Kai-stern's next report was on time, and written on perfectly crisp, white paper. It made a nice change, but Alfeegi didn't really have much time to make note of it. There was a war going on in the west, and money had to be allocated correctly. He did a brilliant job – if he did say so himself, although it helped naturally that others agreed – in making sure that the money spent on the war effort went exactly where he thought it should be. As a result, Draqueen's economy and its people felt few ill effects of the war, something that most certainly wouldn't have occurred if Alfeegi had given into Tetheus' preposterous demands for silver and gold to spend on even better armor and more troops. He'd smugly told the youkai military commander that when he had returned, stating how Tetheus had obviously been wrong as they'd won the war without all that wasted expenditure. Tetheus had simply looked at him, weary eyes speaking volumes but in a language that Alfeegi couldn't quite understand, before turning away and saying quietly that the cost of war wasn't always paid for with simply money. Alfeegi had scoffed slightly in response, said of course it was, as after all, Alfeegi had been the one who had been in charge of paying for the war effort. He'd then suggested kindly that perhaps Tetheus should go and have his shoulder wound checked out, because it looked as though it was bleeding again.

He had to get a cleaner in to get rid of the stains from his carpet, but he most certainly didn't hold that against the injured Officer. No-one might work harder than Alfeegi, but Alfeegi was not so preoccupied with himself to believe that Tetheus did not work very hard as well.

Ruwalk, on the other hand, Alfeegi had his doubts about. If Alfeegi was in the middle of a situation – and he almost always was – Ruwalk suddenly decided they should go out for coffee. If Alfeegi was drawing up very important documents that took weeks to complete, Ruwalk wanted to talk about some bar he'd been to the night before. Ruwalk worked, no doubt, but Alfeegi was of the opinion that he'd forsaken his actual job and had taken on instead the position of Chief Alfeegi Annoyer. Alfeegi was not a child, and constantly having food and drink forced upon him, or even worse, attempts to make him go out and socialize, were never, ever welcome. There were occasions when Ruwalk didn't come, when he holed himself up in his own office and refused to come out even when Kai-stern offered to buy him a drink, and it was in those moments that Alfeegi could finally get some work done. It was what, with a bit of luck, Ruwalk was doing during those times as well.

Alfeegi just hoped that, in Ruwalk's rush to get everything done and to catch up on what he'd missed, that the other man didn't end up missing the little things.


End file.
